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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. face — to point toward
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. band — a ring
  10. vault — a safe
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rash — hasty
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. wound — an injury
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. face — to confront
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. band — a music group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com